Awesome day chilling around Capri
We sailed I’m from Naples around lunch and then spent the afternoon swimming from the back of the boat and admiring the view. Not long after we arrived, a Canadian / English couple that we met in Castelsardo came over to the boat and invited us over for drinks. We had a good time catching up on where each boat had been and swapping sailing stories. To top the night off we hiked up to the top of the island to dine at a restaurant Sabina had read about called restoronte da tonino. I’m not sure who little Tony is but he did a mean suckling pig and fresh zucchini pasta. It turned out to be one of the best meals we have had on the trip. Great food, an amazing local wine, and top notch service. A great way to finish the day 😉 
Capri to Ponza: A day of passage making
We need to be in Rome in 2 days, which is a few hundred kilometres away so we did the first leg today to a small island called Ponza. The place has a rough …but consistent past as a place to throw outcasts. First the Greeks, then the Romans, and even the Germans in WWII. These days the biggest danger is being hit by a falling stone. The whole place is an old volcano that is slowly eroding into the sea …with some beaches recently closed due to falling stones :0 
All roads lead to Rome
A second day of passage making. We left Ponza with some nice winds and sailed a consistent 5-6knots (a good speed for us) all the way up to the mouth of the Tiber river. Rome was founded on the banks of the Tiber some 25km inland. Today the river is more of a public sewer and it is a little hard to imagine someone ‘crossing the tiber’ back in the day. We were here to finally get our watermaker fitted (which desalinates sea water for us to drink), and pick up my mum and Keith for some crushing up the coast. Watch that rock A great introduction to sailing for Mum and Keith, with an amazing sail up the coast to the Tuscan Archipelago from Rome. With a nice 10-15 knots we managed to do over 7 knots most of the day. And we even caught a fish – a small bluefin tuna that we released. We got as far as Isola de Giglio, which is probably most famous as the place where the Costa Concordia was ran aground by a drunk captain in 2012. The island is beautiful with nice walks, clear water and its own wine! What more could you want 😉 Beautiful day on Isola de Giglio We moved to the port in the morning, making sure to steer clear of the Costa Cordia wreck. After taking some time to figure out the anchor out / stern to wharf mooring combo, we enjoyed some of the local anchovy pizza special. In the afternoon we hiked up to the hilltop castle town, where by chance we came across a local winemaker who asked us in to his cave to see his winemaking and try his local drop. It wasn’t bad! In the afternoon we took the easy route back (by bus) before enjoying the great cruising combo of sundowner deck drinks followed by a nice seafood dinner. A perfect day! Mum and Keith seem to be settling in to the cruising life. 
Super mum
After a few days on the boat Mum and Keith were settling in to the cruising life on the boat. It was time to up the ante! Mum had turned 70 a couple of months before, so we thought we should test her co-ordination with the stand up paddles. Amazingly with little instruction she managed to get up and paddle around this little bay we were staying in Elba. To celebrate, we did some wine tasting in the afternoon. Elba does some pretty good whites, so we stocked up the boat cellar. To finish the day, we organised a little (belated) surprise birthday celebration at a super nice restaurant in Porto Azzuro. Day done! 
More paddling
Another day with Mum and Keith aboard. An easy day of cruising around to the other side of Elba, made even better by one of the local white whines we bought the day before. We spent the afternoon just off Biodola beach. Mum proved she was no fluke and got up again on the stand up paddle, and Keith managed to copy her this time. There was a wedding going on at the beach, so Sabina and mum paddled over for a sticky beak. The day finished with a nice dinner at Porto Marciana, where I had my best gnocchi of the trip so far – in a white wine and saffron sauce with clams and squid. Yummo! Hanging in Napoleon’s town It was our last day in Elba, and the last day for Mum and Keith aboard. In the morning, we sailed around to Porto Ferreiro, a port where Napolean was kept in exile for some time, and while there promptly tidied the place up! We explored for the afternoon, climbing up to a fort first built by the Medici family. As the sun started to to set we set sail for the mainland, arriving at San Vincenzzo just after dark. #img5# Goodbye mum We packed Mum and Keith off to the train today. They were going back to Rome, and then on to meet friends in Malta (nice life for the retired!). We set sail for Pisa, and enjoyed an afternoon of solitude at sea – love it!